In a bid to boost local tourism that has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Tourism said it will resume subsidizing swab tests for local tourists.
“The subsidy aims to encourage domestic travel by aiding the tourists in fulfilling the RT-PCR test requirement, and to enable them to visit their destination of choice at a lesser cost,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
Puyat’s statement came on the heels of the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to ease restrictions on local travel.
Tourists from NCR Plus (Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Rizal) regardless of age, are now allowed to go to areas under modified general community quarantine.
With the subsidy, the RT-PCR test will now only cost P950 at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila and P750 at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.
Those planning to avail of the subsidized COVID-19 tests can apply at the website of the Tourism Promotions Board.
For his part, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar urged local tourists to update themselves on the latest regulations in the areas they are planning to visit as local government units impose their own guidelines in accepting visitors or tourists.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration backed a proposal to allow fully vaccinated foreigners to enter the country as part of efforts to reopen borders.
In a statement, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the bureau backs the setting up of a “green lane” for vaccinated aliens in the different ports to pave the way for the reopening of tourist destinations to leisure travelers, should the IATF deem it viable.
“If approved by the IATF, we in the Bureau support this initiative by the Department of Tourism (DOT) as it will not only resuscitate our tourism industry. It will also generate employment for millions of Filipinos who lost their jobs due to the pandemic,” Morente said.